My recent travels to Atlantic Canada piqued my curiosity about the Acadian and Québécois roots that run through both my husband’s family and mine. Although our heritage differs—his Polish and Acadian, mine Irish, German, Danish, and Acadian/Québécois—our matrilineal lines share a history of migration from France to Atlantic Canada to New England.
This blog, Tracing North: Towards my Acadian and Québécois roots | Vers mes racines acadiennes et québécoises, will document my journey northward. I will explore three intertwined paths—genealogy, language, and history. Through genealogy, I hope to learn more about where my ancestors came from. I want to understand how their circumstances shaped the generations that followed. My French language study will help me read and understand French language resources. History will explain the broader forces—migration, displacement, resilience—that defined the Acadian and Québécois experience in New England.
I grew up knowing only a little about this part of my family. My grandfather died when my mother was very young, so I never knew him. I invite you to follow along as I learn and document what it means to discover a cultural lineage.
Tracing North 